Let’s face it, we’ll all procrastinators sometimes. And when it comes to sitting down and writing a blog post, it’s easy get very distracted very quickly. I often find myself doing things that could be temporarily ignored such as answering the phone or responding to Facebook messages. And, fewer distractions often mean more free time. So, I’ve gathered some little tricks together that I’ve found have helped me to speed up my blog writing time.

What do you do to speed up your blog writing time? I’d love to hear.

Write notes first

Get your main points down and then begin to extend each one. This is basically how all of my posts begin. I’ve definitely been quite forgetful in the past and learned that this is a great trick to avoid missing any important information. I’ve especially found writing notes first is useful when writing posts that contain individual points like this one.

Don’t edit as you write

I often find that doing this is a distraction and I tend to lose my trail of thought. Instead I like to get all of my points down and then worry about the editing at the end. I often spend around 30 minutes checking for any grammatical errors, making sure it makes sense and of course flows nicely.

Take photographs before you start

I find that posts are so much easier to write when I have already taken, edited and inserted the photographs. This way I have all of the information on a product (for example) right in front of me. Have a read of my post on how I take and edit my blog photographs for all of my tips and tricks.

Close tabs

This one takes me right back to my studying days. Closing all other internet tabs is a huge must for someone who’s easily distracted. It’s amazing how much time you’ll save just by shutting off the rest of the internet and focusing on what exactly you need to do.

Listen to music

Not only does plugging into a good playlist help me to write (particularly if I’m feeling blocked), but it also helps motivate me and can often spark a new idea or two. Create a playlist on Spotify (it’s free) by selecting music that you know you can work to. I often go for something that’s not too heavy because that can become distracting; I’m trying to write a blog post, not dance around the room.

Try timing yourself next time you write a blog post to see how long it actually takes you when you follow these tips.

It’s very easy to become overwhelmed when you enter the blogging world. I’ve been a beauty blogger for almost a year and to start with I quickly realised I knew nothing about blogging, it’s been a huge learning curve. To help as many new bloggers as possible, I’ve put together a list of tips – stuff I wish I had done from the very beginning to help you out.

1. Write about what you love

I put this at number one because it’s so damn important. If you don’t love what you write about, you won’t want to do it forever. Plus, people will be able to see straight through you, trust me. Choose something you’re genuinely interested in, passionate for and can say a lot about because blogging can turn into a full-time job, and you may as well enjoy it.

2. Write like you talk

People want to read a blog where a persons personality shows through their writing. This is how yours is unique and how you begin to form a connection with your readers. They’ll want to see continuity in your future posts. There’s absolutely no reason to be so serious all of the time either, have fun with it!

3. Be unique

People aren’t going to continue to read your blog if they can get the same answers elsewhere. Your blog must be different from all the rest in some way. I wish I could tell you exactly how but that’s up to you to decide. Think about what more you can offer your readers, and how your posts can stand out from the rest.

4. Have good content

I know this is a bit of an obvious one, but by good content I mean you must have the full package. Start with a tempting title, by which I mean naming your post something that will persuade the reader in. Then think about how you can have a good, strong subject; along with a message you’d like to portray. Write in a structured manner with good punctuation and grammar (do you feel like you’re back at school?). Have a start, a middle and an end with plenty of photographs. Which leads me onto my next point…

5. Use good quality photographs

Don’t feel like Simple you can’t achieve this if you don’t have an expensive camera or fancy software. You do not need them. Just put some creativity and effort into your background and always use natural daylight if you don’t have access to artificial lighting. And I must emphasize, always, always edit your photographs. There are free photo editing software such as PicMonkey and GIMP which can do a lot of the same things as Adobe Photoshop. I’m doing a post on my personal blog on how exactly I edit my photographs very soon.

6. Make it look professional

If you use WordPress, I recommend selecting a theme that makes your page look like a professional website, for example the Sight theme. It’s free, looks very sophisticated and is incredibly user-friendly. Populate your navigation bar by breaking your posts down into categories, it’s so easy. Splash images over the page to attract readers. Read ‘Blog Layout | Simple Tips to Gain More Followers‘ for more ideas.

7. Do your research

Research is my starting point for every post. Once an idea has entered my mind, I hit Google and search, search, search. I do this for a number of reasons – to see if posts have been done before, to read similar ones and to investigate if it’s popular and something people are going to want to read. I copy and paste How any useful into a draft for when I actually come back to write the full post.

8. Take risks

This goes for anything you do in life, you have to take risks to reach new milestones. I take risks by hosting giveaways and publishing a post I wouldn’t usually write. These are ways of attracting further audiences and showing your current readers that you aren’t scared to take risks, and that you like to try new things. After all, they’ll more than likely pay off.

9. Be inviting

Welcome readers to your page by giving them a huge virtual hug. You want readers to feel they can glide around your page with ease and enjoy the content enough to want to come back. As for in your actual posts, ask for feedback, supply connections to your social media platforms and get talking. If someone makes the effort to comment on your posts, reply to them! You’ll very quickly begin to form a network of blogging buddies.

10. Give it time

Let’s be honest, nothing ever happens overnight, you have to work hard and be dedicated. However, there are a number of things you can do to give your blog a boost such as creating a regular series (people will become aware of when you publish posts), or to get involved with guest posting. This means publishing an article on someone else’s blog or website. It’s (video) a great way to connect with new readers and get your name out there.

I really hope this helps you in some way, new blogger or not! You probably have some more of your own ideas, why not mention them in the comments?

Are you stuck on creative ideas? How can you make yours stand out? Are you doing something wrong? There’s no way around it, you need to spend Learn some serious time and energy on your about page, because it’s probably one of the most visited pages on your blog. It’s your virtual ‘how do you do?’. Fill it to let people know who you are and what you have to offer.

So, first are some things I think you should always include to attract the reader…

Show yourself

Including a picture helps your readers connect with you on a more personal level. I don’t mean a blurry iPhone photo either. Try to find, or take a clear headshot photograph of yourself.

Social media platforms

Hyperlink all of your social medias onto this page. If you’re a beauty blogger like me, people are always keen to follow you to keep up. Make it easy for them.

The lowdown

Who are you? What’s your blog about? My introduction includes one short paragraph telling the reader about myself and my blog.”I’m a 22-year-old from England whose heart belongs to beauty blogging. My blog began due to a very reflective moment during the New Year of 2015. I’ve not looked back since. Here you can find all things beauty related from tutorials to advice cialis pas cher en france. Due to the success of my blog, I began a YouTube channel. You can subscribe to keep up with my latest videos here.”

Interesting information

Make it funny, there’s no need to be too serious (unless your blog is professional related). Drop a couple of unusual facts about you as well as linking to old posts which new readers may be interested in.

Now you have an idea on what a strong about page should include, let’s move on to some useful tips and tricks to persuade people to read on through your blog and to follow you.

Keep it short

It’s like a CV, no one is going to spend more than five minutes reading through it. There’s no need to ramble or go off on tangents. Just a couple of paragraphs describing who you are and what your blog has to offer.

Say how you got here

We all love a good story. Think about why you started blogging and the challenges you’ve met along the way (if any). By sharing your story with readers, they’ll feel an instant connection and like they know you a little more, essentially achieving what an about me page should do.

Show your personality

People want to know more about the real you. Don’t just lead with the facts, Mac your about page should reflect your personality too. Use colloquial, chatty language and act as if you’re talking to your best friend. Your about page should give the reader a big warm hug.

It’s ok to boast a little

Have you achieved something you’re proud of? Mention it! I mentioned that I started YouTube due to the success of my blog. People love to hear these milestones because it shows them that your blog is clearly successful.

Tell people how they can benefit from reading your blog

More often than not, people need a reason to follow you. Give them a little push and shove by telling them what you have to offer. How are you different from other blogs? Perhaps link them to a post you know’s a good all rounder and they’ll probably like.

Open with a big, bold statement

This is how you first hook your readers’ interest. Consider an opening question, unique fact about yourself or proclaim your passion – but try to always link it back to your blog. After all, that’s why they’re here.

One more thing…

Remember to update it.

You’ve done the hard work, you just need to make sure you keep it updated. Facts and figures change, make sure you edit your about page every so often, just to make sure everything still applies.

I hope you’re feeling a little more inspired now. Take a look at my about page for a few more ideas. It also helps to see what the pros are writing about. Some of my favorite About pages include:

Do you need some tips on how to make your blog page stand out? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the customise tool? Today I am discussing how to gain more followers simply by tweaking your blog layout. Your visitors first impressions are made when they visit your homepage, so you have to make it count. Grab a snack, slump down into your seat and enjoy.

Please note that I am a WordPress only blogger so these tips can be useful anyway but they are primarily for WordPress users.

I’m covering all areas including:

If you have any questions at all, just leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help!

Theme

Selecting a suitable theme for your blog means you’re only half way there. You then need to then customise the theme to get the most out of it. Go to the customise area in ‘My Sites’ and then ‘Customise’ under ‘Personalise’. These are the tips I’ve found most effective on my beauty blog.

Brand yourself

Do you want people to remember you? This is how you do just that. Create a logo, use the same profile image across all of your social media platforms and pick a colour scheme. You don’t want to confuse readers by using different images everywhere or different identities. And, I don’t mean you must hire a graphic designer wholesale mlb jerseys either. It’s so easy to create technologies a logo. Just create some text with perhaps an icon or specific colour and save side it as an image. Et voila. Use this image as your banner for your blog and as your Twitter header.

Choose a background and your colour scheme

As I just mentioned, you should create a colour scheme. Use the colours in your logo throughout your blog to link it alltogether. Try not to choose any more than two colours – keep it simple. My number one pet hate on blogs is a busy background. I am instantly put off when content is overruled by a heavy patterned Beauty background. Don’t give your reader a headache – keep it fresh by using a light shaded block colour.

Create widgets

Try to create as many widgets as possible. Some themes allow you to create widgets for the header, footer and sidebar. The more widgets you use, the more likely your reader is going to explore your blog page further. Remember to keep it wholesale nba jerseys all neat and readable though. You could use striking images linking to previous posts, display your most popular posts, or simply just some impressive stats. I would always recommend putting a follow button at the top of your sidebar so the reader doesn’t have to hunt for it – make it easy for them.

Homepage

This is cheap jerseys the page that new visitors most view, so you have to make it impress them enough to follow you. People will only follow you if they are genuinely interested in your content and want to read more. So, how do we make them do just that?

Display a thread of your latest postsI would highly recommend displaying all of your latest posts on the homepage, so when the reader visits they can see them all at a glance. This will also order your posts from most recent. The reader is bound to see something they’d quite like to read.

Display a snippet of each blog post
If you choose to display a thread of previous posts on your homepage, each of these should include the first 100 or so words. Most themes have this feature enabled already, but it’s a great tip to tempt the viewer to continue reading.

Enable infinity posts
I would highly recommend having no restrictions on how far the reader can scroll down on your homepage. They’re more likely to see a post they’d like to read if you change the settings to allow a continuous roll. Go to ‘Settings’ then ‘Reading’ in the WP Admin. This page holds a treasure chest of important settings anyway. Scroll down to ‘To infinity and beyond’ and select that box.

Present a clear introduction with a picture of yourselfYou want your page to shout HELLO! This is me! I exist! Include a good quality headshot. Mines from one of my tutorials, along with a short introduction welcoming readers to my page. Display this as the first widget in your sidebar. The best way to do this is to create an image Widget and then fill the caption area with your intro. Why should people follow you? What can you offer them? What’s your niche?

Fill your navigation bar
I see so many blog pages with barely any links in the navigation bar, why waste it?! Include a link to the Home, Boss About and Contact pages. These are the most commonly visited after your homepage if people are thinking about following you. Once you’ve created those pages, fill the rest of your navigation bar with categories which hold your posts. You can populate your navigation bar in the WP Admin > Customise > Appearance > Menus. If you don’t have any categories created yet go to posts > categories. To create new pages go to pages > add new.

Display a search boxReaders will sometimes visit your wholesale nba jerseys blog with the intention of finding a certain post. Make it easy for them by displaying a clear search bar towards the top of the page. You could include it in the header like mine or as a widget in the sidebar, or the footer (some themes allow that). Doing this will mean it’s always accessible on every page.

Other pages

Create a strong About pageIf people are thinking about following you, or they just want to know a little more about your blog and you as an individual, they will head to your About page. I am going to write a post very soon on how to create a strong About page. For now, take a look at Online Creators. Include some fun facts as well as the same image you used for your introduction widget. Don’t waffle one, just use a few short sentences persuading readers to follow you. What can you offer them? Why should they follow you?

Create a Contact pageInclude a form wholesale nba jerseys on this page which actually works and mention how people can contact you without having to complete the form. Not everybody likes a form, especially when they don’t work on half the blogs. Invite people to Ways contact you if they have a question or even if they just would like some advice. I often get people emailing me because they would like blog advice.

You should include your social media platforms on both of these pages. You are going to get hundreds of people visiting these pages so you may as well self-promote yourself a little bit!

Sidebar

Your sidebar will appear on every page, unless the reader is viewing your page on a mobile device. You may as well fill it.

Populate itGo into the Customise tool and then Widgets to add some to your sidebar. In some themes, you’ll be able to add widgets to the footer too. However the Sight theme, which I use, doesn’t allow that freedom. So, I have just populated my sidebar with as much as possible. There is method to the madness in the way I’ve ordered everything. I start with an introduction, my social media platforms, most popular video etc and then lead on to list more posts, awards etc.

Display any impressive figuresPeople want proof that your blog is popular. Do you have some impressive stats? A high number of hits? Lots of followers? Show it! I know it feels like bragging but this is what will help tempt the reader to follow you.

Include social media linksYou want people to follow you on your social Introduction media because this all helps to get your name out there. I listed mine altogether along with my stats. You should also include these links in posts and on other pages to make people constantly aware of them.

Blog Posts

Show related postsIn WP Admin > Settings > Reading, there’s an option to display related posts at the bottom of each blog post. This is a great way of tempting your readers to view more content that’s similar to the piece they just read. I also chose to use a ‘large and visually striking layout’ to attract the reader, but also this is a simple way of adding more images onto your post page.

Include striking imagesI always take my own images. I used to use other images which I’d got online (I made sure they were copyright free) but I much prefer reading a blog which is full of images that the blogger has taken themselves. I always give my images a quick edit on Photoshop by increasing the brightness, contrast and saturation as well as adding some eye-catching text on top. People don’t like reading through blocks of text with no images.

Vary the fontsPeople will get bored of staring at one font. Your blog theme may restrict you with how many types of font you use so I like to include them in my images. Don’t forget, you could write some text, save it as an image and then insert it into your blog posts. This usually works for headings etc.

Use persuasive titlesYou want readers to read your posts. Sometimes you have to give them a little nudge to do so. Make them <a href="http://www.backyardbounty cialis 20mg en ligne.ca/recreate-your-yard”>Recreate want to read the post. Include keywords, a question and make it punchy.

Welcome to another piece of blog advice for my monthly column. This month is all about how to increase the traffic on your blog – this can help newcomers and even established bloggers looking to reach a wider audience.

Personally increasing external traffic is my main goal, but increasing internal traffic within your posts is equally as important. – I want readers to explore various posts which usually prompts them to hit the all important ‘follow’ button. If you’re looking for a more detailed resource, check out How To Start a Beauty Blog. I also have a fresh piece of blog advice on my personal blog every month – enjoy!

Need some extra advice? Leave me your questions in the comments.

1. Diversify your Social Media

This may be an obvious one but once you’ve set up your blog you need to get the word out to get readers. It’s important to have a presence on every social media platform. I set up a new Twitter account (@claireelsley) dedicated towards my blog and YouTube. I connect my most recent posts to my social media platforms so every time I publish a blog post, it’s automatically posted on those too. Since doing this i’ve found that 40% of my traffic comes from external sources.

2. Brand Yourself

This is personally my biggest must. People are going to remember you for your picture, name and blog page so make them bold and keep everything looking very similar if possible. For example, use the same picture and display name as your Gravatar, BlogLovin’, Twitter etc. Create a funky banner for your blog page header and if you have YouTube, use the same one on your channel.

My Header

3. Make the Most of your Sidebar

People often think that the sidebar on your blog page is only used for advertisement purposes but you should fill this space as much as possible with a selection of widgets made available in Personalize > Customize. Like I said, when people visit your blog page you want to try to make them stay for as long as possible and read other posts. I use my sidebar to display an About Me text widget, an achieve of all of my posts, stats & social, popular posts and more.

4. Include a ‘Related Posts’ Section Under New Posts

When people read your blog post, they’ll often scroll down further to view new comments and to see if there’s anything more that the writer has to offer. In Settings > Reading scroll down to ‘Related Posts’ and select ‘Show related content after posts’ to enable this. This will display three similar posts to the one they just the read, wholesale nfl jerseys prompting them to read more. I also went for a more striking appearance.

5. Tag Away

Tag, tag and tag as much as you possibly can. Tags are how readers stumble across your blog so make sure to tag as much as possible and to use popular tags, they can be found here. Obviously don’t tag anything that isn’t relevant to your post because this can have the opposite effect. I find that beauty, products and makeup are really popular tags for my blog.

6. Use Your Navigation Bar

Your navigation bar is there to be filled. Create pages and add them to the top menu in Personalize > Menus. You can also create wholesale nba jerseys sub menus. I connected my posts to the relevant pages by creating categories. If readers are interested in your content, they will use this feature to search for more that they would like to read.

7. Hyperlink in your Posts

You should always list your social media areas so people know where to find you as well as direct links to other posts you refer to. You could include a ‘read my previous post’ section in your posts. I always include my links after my signature at the bottom of every post.

8. Do Tags

I tend to do tags if I am feeling a little uninspired and demotivated – we all have bad days. These are such a popular type of post, I’ve noticed that my tags can get the most views. Also, by tagging other people they will refer to your blog with a direct link to it when they do the tag, so it’s a great way to get noticed.

9. Build a Community

Personally, I love the blogging community and it came so naturally to connect with fellow beauty bloggers. It’s important to keep building connections and chatting through comments to bloggers. If you comment on someones post, that’s an instant link to your blog page so any viewers that they get on that particular post can go straight to your page.

10. Host Giveaways

This is a must; my most views in a day was because I hosted a giveaway. They don’t have to be Start pricey either, just something small and relevant to your blog which will prompt viewers to enter. The best thing about them is that you can make up your own entry rules. Personally, I think it’s best to tell viewers that to submit an entry they must reblog your post and follow you, this is the best way of getting your blog out there to thousands of people.

11. Revamp your About Me Page

This is the page that viewers will often visit just before hitting the follow button. You want your 2015About Me page to reflect your unique personality and to be a fun read – nothing too serious. cheap nfl jerseys If you’re on social media or YouTube, throw in some links there for them to have a peek around. You should also include a photograph of yourself, I would recommend using the same as дураках. your blog profile picture to keep it simple and to keep it consistent.

12. Encourage Readers to Follow You

Most readers often need a prompt before they even think about following you – do it! I always have a clear ‘Follow Clarina’ button in the sidebar along with how many followers I currently have. I also sometimes ask people at the end of blog posts, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of self-promotion. Subscriptions become the most direct way to reach your readers every time you write a new post. So, be sure to offer multiple subscription prompts on your website to get your readers to subscribe!

13. Research Popular Topics

Trends are always coming in and out, it’s good Introduction to hop on the band waggon of a current popular type of post because these will often get a lot of extra views. Also, seasonal topics are a good one to follow for example, in September it’s all about going back to school.

14. Check for Broken Links

15. Quality Posts

Finally, your posts should be good quality over quantity. If you have the time to publish five quality posts a week then great! But, realistically cheap nba jerseys most people only post around two. If a post of mine isn’t great quality, I won’t publish it until I’m happy with it. It’s better to start posting less and more quality posts before you fall into the trap of sacrificing quality for quantity.